My at-home bartending skills leave a little something to be desired. For example, I have a decent selection of spirits, but I never seem to remember to buy vermouth. My rocks glasses and whiskey stones are lovely, but I don’t own a shaker. I can make a solid Manhattan or Old-Fashioned, but that’s about it.
It’s high time I upped my cocktail game, and Julie Reiner’s new book, The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious Drinks for Every Occasion, is the perfect beginner bartending textbook. Reiner’s resume speaks volumes about her prodigious skill; she is co-owner of the Clover Club in Brooklyn and Flatiron Lounge in Manhattan, and she’s been featured in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, The Wall Street Journal and umpteen other publications.
Reiner intended this book to serve as a resource for home bartenders, not an industry guide, which means the tips, techniques and equipment she recommends are accessible to the rest of us. She goes into detailed explanations about the difference between a Boston shaker and a cobber shaker or a Hawthorne strainer and a julep strainer, but doesn’t insist you buy one of each. Just choose what works best in your home.
The recipes are divided by season as opposed to spirit, which is a welcome change from most cocktail books. Instead of automatically flipping to the bourbon section, as I usually would, I paged through a wide variety of fresh spring beverages that use berries and bright young herbs – perfect for brunch or evenings on the patio.
While there are dozens of more complex cocktails (a verdant concoction named Green Giant called for sugar snap peas and tarragon leaves), I opted for a simple classic that even my beginner abilities couldn’t screw up: an Americano.
Reiner calls the Americano Highball a perfect brunch drink, and I’m inclined to agree. No complicated proportions or techniques to master, no endless parade of garnishes piled on top – just equal parts vermouth and Campari topped with club soda, garnished with an orange twist. It’s a balanced drink that cuts the sweet vermouth with bitter Campari, and it has just enough fizz to gently cure any lingering ails from the night before.
Americano Highball 1 serving
1½ oz. sweet vermouth
1½ oz. Campari
Club soda
Orange twist, for garnish
• Fill a highball glass with ice and add the sweet vermouth and the Campari. Top with the club soda and gently stir with a bar spoon. Garnish with the orange twist.
Reprinted with permission from Grand Central Life & Style Bloody marys and mimosas are brunch classics, but what cocktail do you enjoy when you mix things up at brunch? Tell us in the comments below for a chance to win a copy of The Craft Cocktail Party.
This article appears in May 2015.